Drown With Me
by When The Tide Comes In
Summary: Some stories are better off left untold. Series of Rikki/Lewis Oneshots. Rewrite of "Out to Sea."


**a/n:** the promised rewrite of _drown with me. _:) this first chapter is pretty unchanged, although now it reads much more smoothly. the next chapters, however, are going to be completely different. stay tuned! update somewhere between five and ten reviews. x

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><p><em>push me out to sea on a little boat that you made<em>  
><em>out of the evergreen, that you helped your father cut away<em>  
><em>leave me on the tracks to wait until the morning train arrives<em>  
><em>don't you dare look back, walk away<em>  
><em>catch up with the sunrise<em> ;

Lewis absently traced patterns down the slope of Rikki's bare back, his mind anywhere but in the unsettling quiet of his bedroom. He squinted in the darkness, attempting to make out the vague outline of his door for no other reason than to focus on something other than the crippling guilt that was making him sick with self loathing. Lewis knew this was wrong. Cleo deserved so much better than his unfaithfulness. He knew just how deeply her feelings ran for him.

(he knew this made him no better than his _father_, the thought made him physically ill.)

_throw me in the landfill _;

Rikki was sprawled gracelessly across his chest, her head a solid weight against his still rapidly beating heart. There were few things Lewis liked more than how the weight of her body felt against his. Rikki was running her fingers curiously along his collarbone, slick with perspiration and already beginning to darken and bruise from where she'd kissed and bit. He winced as she pressed down a little too roughly, but leant up into the sharp ache anyway. It wasn't a secret to anyone but himself that Lewis was a masochist.

(of course, it wasn't any secret rikki was too.)

_throw me in the dirt pit _;

Lewis turned his head away from the door so he could bury his nose in Rikki's thoroughly disordered curls — - they were soft against his face and smelt like mango shampoo. Sharp and sweet and exotic, Lewis thought the fragrance fit Rikki well. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple, unable to pry the _I'm Sorry _from the back of his throat. He could just make out Rikki looking up at him, her fact a blurred but familiar shape in the darkness. She kissed the side of his mouth tenderly and Lewis could've sworn he felt his ribs splinter beneath her delicate hand and impale his heart.

It was easier to communicate this way, through gentle and not-so-gentle touches. Neither of them were very good with words anyway. Lewis always seemed to talk too much, and Rikki almost never got the chance to say enough.

(bad with words, but good with their mouths.)

_throw me in the water _;

It was raining again, tthe third night in a row this week.

Lewis was starting to doze off now, the sound of the rain and Rikki's even breathing slowly lulling him to sleep. It was one of the few things him and Rikki had in common, their love of the rain — thunderstorms, more accurately. Rikki came to notice that, whenever a thunderstorm rolled in, Lewis would get _this look _on his face. She'd been at the café, back when it was still The JuiceNet, with Emma and Cleo the first time she ever caught a glimpse of it. It was during a bone chillingly loud crack of thunder that the lights flickered;; Lewis beamed, no doubt filled with scientific curiosity. His smile had been almost as bright as the lightning, and it, along with his eyes, held a certain mischievousness that she wasn't used to seeing in him. It was as though he were just as charged full of fire as the storm itself. _  
><em>

She knew now that Lewis was.

(she never forgot that day.)

_leave me at the altar _;

Rikki knew her dad was going to be pissed when she got home tomorrow, assuming the rain stopped by then. He'd be waiting in the kitchen for her when she crept back into the trailer, her clothes disheveled and her makeup worn and smeared. It wasn't hard to tell where she'd been. Terry would get over it, though. For now Rikki was content to stay where she was, secretly enjoying the way Lewis's chest rose and fell with each breath he took. It wouldn't be long before he grew restless, though. He'd toss and turn and make distressed expressions, occasionally mumbling beneath his breath words Rikki couldn't quite make out. She wanted to ask him on more than one occasion if he had bad dreams, or perhaps bad memories, but always decided against it. If Lewis ever asked about her bad dreams she'd probably punch him in the face. Some stories are better off left untold.

By the time dawn broke, Rikki was gone.

Lewis didn't expect her to stay. She usually never did, not unless it was too wet outside for her to walk home, but somehow it still managed to sting when he opened his eyes and found the other side of the bed empty. With a sigh, Lewis rolled over and grabbed his phone from it's place on his nightstand. Before he could check the time his phone lit up in his hand and a picture of Cleo, smiling like the first day they'd met, showed up. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him as his finger hovered over the 'answer' button.

Lewis swallowed the bile in the back of his throat. "Hello?"

"Morning Lewis!" Cleo chirped happily. Her voice made his chest tight. "You're still meeting us at Mako today, right? Will needs to know how how much stuff to pack."

"Yeah," He breathed, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll meet your girls at the café in twenty minutes or so. Sound okay?"

"Sounds perfect!"

His phone beeped twice, letting him know the call had ended.

Lewis dragged himself out of bed and pulled on some clothes. He dreaded the day ahead. It was getting harder and harder to look Rikki and Cleo both in the eye, not to mention Zane. Rikki seemed to be avoiding his gaze more often than not these days, too. He hoped, more than anything, they hadn't destroyed their friendship in the process of trying to rid the smoldering ache of loneliness and longing festering within the both of them.

When Lewis got to the café Cleo greeted him with a kiss and an over enthusiastic hug. Behind the two of them, Rikki flashed Lewis a somber, knowing smile. One that said _we'll figure it out, eventually._

Lewis had his doubts, but he smiled anyway.

_push me out to sea. _


End file.
